The spring breeze was blowing, and the gentle wind gradually blew away the last chill after winter.
The coachman on the carriage, under this warm front, could not help but open his thick clothes, let the wind blow over his body and face, and carefully enjoy the warmth of this spring.
On this road heading east, such a convoy of dozens of carriages is very eye-catching. A carriage at the front of the line even had a prominent chamber of commerce flag hanging on it. The more than 20 carts at the front were all stamped with steel stamps. Even the drivers were dressed neatly and clearly. The style of the big chamber of commerce.
It's just that the carriages at the back of the convoy looked a lot more cluttered, and even the coachman's clothes were a lot weaker.
In addition, the front, back and sides of the convoy, occasionally two strong horses ran past. The men on the horses were all vigorous and brave, with a sturdy appearance. Although they were dressed differently, they were all dressed as warriors, just wearing The armor and weapons he wears are a bit miscellaneous, so it is clearly not a regular army, and that sturdy body doesn't seem to be the personal armament of a noble.
On the other hand, as long as there are experienced travelers on the road, you can see at a glance that these sturdy mounted warriors are the kind of mercenaries who earn commissions.
This is clearly a typical large-scale caravan. Historically, on the mainland, especially in the Byzantine Empire, large and small business guilds seek livelihoods, and those with strong and deep backgrounds have established their own armed bodyguard teams, while some medium or small ones. The Chamber of Commerce does not have the strength to build its own defense force, so they often choose to hire some mercenary organizations to trade with the team and protect their own safety along the way.
This is the case with the caravan in front of him.
There are nearly fifty chariots and horses in this team, the number of caravans has reached nearly three hundred, and the mercenaries of the bodyguards have about fifty people, but there are only about twenty mercenaries on horseback. After all, it is after the turmoil of the Byzantine Empire, and war horses have also become a scarce resource collected by warlords and tyrants from all over the world, which is rare for everyone.
Such a caravan, although there are more than 200 people, is not all a chamber of commerce, but some small and medium-sized chambers of commerce, and even some scattered merchants spontaneously gather to form a partnership, and the hired mercenary group is also all. It is based on the size of their own capital, and the members of each family are hired together.
On the mainland, such a situation is not uncommon. The game is now in chaos, and the caravans are doing business. If they encounter bandits or local troops who have turned into bandits, it is even more dangerous, and the business of these mercenary groups will correspond accordingly. Much better.
However, this caravan seems to be quite different.
The commercial flag hung on the first cart at the beginning seemed to be more effective than the fifty fully armed mercenaries, the city defenses of the local warlords along the way, and those who used to eat and drink cards. The sergeant and ruffian who took the checkpoint, but as long as they look at this business flag, they will be released. Even if they are a little jealous, as long as the two leaders of the caravan come out and secretly stuff a string of copper horns, they will be released. , not too bullying.
It seems that those mercenaries have become decorations, and they have come all the way, but they seem to be of no use at all.
Along the way, I also encountered a few small troubles, but the leading one in this caravan is obviously a powerful large chamber of commerce among this group of people, and the other scattered businessmen in the team, They all borrowed their light, and it was safe and sound all the way.
The group of people went all the way to the east. In the middle of the group, on a large black carriage, the goods were piled up high, all wrapped in oilcloth. I don’t know what it was, but it was there. Above the cargo, two people sat cross-legged, the one on the left was tall and strong, and even sitting there, he seemed to be able to see his amazing physique, while the one on the right was thinner, but he looked extremely sturdy.
These two people are exactly Xi Ya and Hastings.
Xia Ya also imitated the appearance of those coachmen. She opened her shirt and embraced the spring breeze, squinting her eyes to enjoy it, and only checked the fire fork around her waist. As for Hasting, who was dressed in neat and tidy black clothes, a long leather case was placed beside him, but he wrapped his famous three-edged war gun in it.
It is really helpless. Hastings fought for so many years. There are countless Byzantine soldiers killed and injured under his three-edged war gun, and the appearance of his weapon is really eye-catching, but anyone who has seen it will not be able to see it. Forget, everyone who gets it knows that this three-edged war gun is the unique weapon of Hasting, the Odin Valkyrie. If nothing else, if Hasting's three-edged war gun is casually placed in a lively place, it will take a moment. It will attract the attention of interested people.
Although Xiaya and Hasting were not afraid that others would make trouble, they didn't want to make trouble, so they simply let Hasting put their weapons on and carry them with them.
As for this caravan, the two of them got on board at a place called "Kalan City" six days ago.
The city of Nakaran was a large and prosperous city in the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire. It turns out that the prosperous big city is not under the control of the imperial capital, and the industry does not belong to a certain warlord military region - but is shared by the two military regions.
It turned out that the city of Karan was located on the middle section of the famous North-South Grand Canal - the river that Hastings planned to attack the imperial capital along the river.
And this city is along the river, but there is a wonderful thing, that is, the big river runs through the middle of the city, dividing this big commercial city into two, and the forces of the two warlords and military districts happen to be divided into two parts. The river is the dividing line, so the city is shared by the two warlord military regions.
Xia Ya and Hasting walked all the way to the southeast. When they arrived at Karan City, they stopped for a day. Then Hasting took Xia to the street to find a chamber of commerce. Xia exchanged a bag of gold coins in exchange for Permission to go with others on the road.
It turned out that this city of Karan, because it occupies the main point of the waterway, is also the junction of the two warlord military regions. It is really a natural and excellent business base. Many famous big business associations on the mainland have set up shop here.
And the caravan joined by the two people in Karan City was going to the Chaos Territory and to the holy city of Babylon to do business.
The chamber of commerce that received the money for the two of them was just a small chamber of commerce, and the 20 trucks in the lead were the ones in charge of the caravan, but they belonged to a top-tier, first-class merchant group in the mainland, with a deep background. It's very, the hidden black and white take all, the defense areas of the various warlords and military regions along the way, all give them face, and the mountain thieves and water thieves of the mountains and rivers along the way also see the side on the lead car from a distance. The flag did not dare to harass.
It was the first time that Xia Ya walked with this kind of caravan, so she was quite curious, and asked the shop leader who had received the money to join him.
The head of the shop was about forty years old, but he gave birth to an old man. He was a businessman all year round, exposed to the wind and the sun. At the age of forty, he looked like sixty, but his eyes were still very flexible. Showing a bit of cunning and slippery appearance - this kind of profiteer, Xi Ya has seen many times in Wildfire Town, and naturally knows how to deal with such people. After a few words, they got into a heated fight with others.
The leader's name is Aldnero, but he is called "Father Ade". It turns out that business is the most dangerous business. He has not died or retired at the age of forty, so he is considered an old man in this team. He also deserves the title of "Father Ade".
This father Ade is a profiteer. Originally, he also joined the caravan, and followed the twenty cars at the beginning. When Xia and Hasting came to the door, he took fifty gold coins from them— You must know that the cost of partnering that he paid for himself was only fifty gold coins for a truckload of goods.
Xia Ya and Hasting naturally didn't know that this guy was just a second-order dealer, but they both knew that if they went directly to the big business association at the beginning and asked to join, although the price would be much cheaper, the big business association would join in. It requires strict review, identity guarantee and official commercial documents, etc.
Where would the two of them have those things
I had to bribe this Father Ade and pretend to be an attendant in his shop, so that he could sneak in.
As for being slaughtered, Xia Ya is not bad for this amount of money anyway.
This father Ade killed the family. Maybe he was a little guilty, but he was willing to satisfy Xia Ya's curiosity as much as possible. In addition, Xia Ya took out a bag of high-quality wine that he was wearing with him, and the two drank it in the spring breeze. After a while, Dad Ade's mouth could no longer be closed.
It turned out that the caravan was going to the holy city of Babylon to do business, but the inside story was not that simple...
The holy city of Babylon is located in the chaotic territory of the interior of the continent. It is detached from the world. It does not participate in the war between the two countries on the continent. Neither the Byzantine Empire nor the Odin Empire was willing to offend the Holy City, and there were super masters such as Saint Laurent Garros sitting in town, and even more so in the place where there were many races in the Chaos Territory. You must know that those alien races such as elves and giants have always been extremely unfriendly to humans. However, those alien races from the Chaos Territory are willing to deal with the Holy City, and they are also willing to trade with the Holy City. And other merchants on the mainland, if they want to get rare goods, they can only go to the holy city to find a way.
Without the harassment of war, the status is detached, and at the same time, it has gathered the rarest treasures on the continent. With so many conditions gathered together, the Holy City has become the most mysterious and prosperous commercial capital on this continent.
Everyone knows that the Holy City is a place full of gold. If you can go to the Holy City to do business, you can make a fortune in one round trip.
Under such circumstances, Tianjia's Chamber of Commerce naturally all had their sharp heads to drill there.
But the holy city is also very shrewd. They know very well that if all the chambers of commerce in the world run into their homes, I am afraid that it will not be long before this holy city will really change its owner! Just imagine, how many people are there in the holy city and one city
If merchants from all over the world flock to the holy city, it will not take many years for the wealth and lifeline of the holy city to be controlled by outsiders.
What's more, the Holy City itself is a commercial territory. Although the city owner has a high status, the elders are in charge of things on weekdays. The elders were originally the leaders recommended by the local merchants in the holy city. Naturally, they would not agree. There are too many merchants coming out. But if you blindly close the door, it will only wither the wealth of the Holy City.
Therefore, I don't know how many years ago, the Holy City established a rule.
The holy city issues trade token flags to all countries in the world. Only businesses holding the trade token flags can be allowed to enter the holy city for trade. In addition, it is difficult to enter even the Chaos Territory.
The trade flags issued by this holy city are not something that can be obtained casually.
Only those first-class business associations with strong and powerful financial resources in the world can qualify for the permission of the Holy City.
Of course, some merchants whose strength may not be top-notch, but can get some unique goods that the Holy City likes, can also get the flag of commerce.
A total of sixty-four such flags were issued in this world. Among them, Byzantium occupied half, and the other half was divided up by the Chamber of Commerce of Odin and Lantis.
Therefore, the trade decree flag of this holy city is not only a license for trade, but also a status symbol for the merchants in the world. Having a sage's trade decree flag often shows that one's own business has been listed. Into the ranks of the world's first-class business groups.
And if there is no merchant of this flag, they can only sigh.
If you want to forcibly go to the Holy City, it is absolutely impossible - without the command flag, even if you are outside the city of Babylon, you will never even think about entering the city!
What's more, the holy city is located in the Chaos Territory, and the location is even more special. There are many alien races in the Chaos Territory. Just those elves are a headache. If it is those ordinary natural elves, that's all, although they don't like it. Humans, but they are still peaceful by nature, at most they will drive you back. And if you encounter those fallen elves or dark elves, there is only one way to go.
However, these alien races from the Chaos Territory are willing to buy the account of the Holy City - or to buy the account of Saint Laurent Garros. Only the caravans holding the flag of trade orders will not be attacked by those alien races when they pass through the chaotic territory, and can be allowed to pass through their territory.
If you don't have the flag... let alone the city of Babylon, in the Territory of Chaos, you will either be shot into a hedgehog by the poisonous arrows of the fallen elves, or your skull will be turned into lacquer by the hill dwarves, or the giants will turn your skull into a lacquer. Take your thighbones off to make totem sticks...
Therefore, this trade decree is the key to the door to the golden road to the Holy City.
The Holy City is also very strict about the qualifications of this trade decree. Every ten or eight years, the qualifications of these chambers of commerce will be re-examined.
Their reasons are very good: if the qualified chamber of commerce fails to operate well in the past ten years and collapses, it will naturally not have the qualifications to continue to do business with the Holy City.
As for how to re-evaluate this qualification...
Xia Ya asked Father Ade, and the answer was simple.
"Give money."
…
"... money." Xia Ya couldn't help twitching the corners of her mouth.
It's really a cheap and hassle-free way. Thinking about it, I couldn't help but look forward.
On the way, those flamboyant mercenaries deliberately rode their horses to patrol back and forth quickly along the sides of the road. Under the envious gazes of the caravan members, these horse riders deliberately showed off their riding skills, and even more simply Whistling back and forth, deliberately dangling the polished swords, some enthusiastic young people in the caravan were irritated.
Whoever young people has not heard the exciting stories of those adventurers who are legendary on several continents
Xia Ya looked at these mercenaries, and suddenly thought of a thought: when he first came down the mountain, if it weren't for the series of bizarre encounters that followed, I'm afraid he would have become a little mercenary now.
Hmph... The candidates for the guardian of the holy city, how many others have been thrown into this world to experience
In his ears, he continued to listen to Father Ade's words.
"... It is said that the Presbyterian Church in the holy city has to re-examine the qualifications for trade every eight years or ten years. Those merchants with the banner of trade must pay a huge sum of money as a deposit, and they can make This money shows that you have enough strength to continue doing business with the Holy City. If you can't afford the money, then I'm sorry, I will directly accept your business qualification, and then transfer it to another family. As for each transfer, , the vacated places for business qualifications are all publicly auctioned at the guild in the holy city, and a place can be auctioned for sky-high prices!"
Xia Ya kept his mind and couldn't help but say, "Then... how much does it cost?"
"It is said that when the qualification is reviewed, the deposit of a chamber of commerce is as little as 80,000 gold coins, and as much as 100,000. If there are vacant places to be auctioned, then there is no accurate number. Over the years, I have only heard of it. There was a quota auction eight years ago, and it is said that the quota was bought by a first-class wealthy family in the southern part of the empire, costing nearly 300,000 gold coins!"
When Xia Ya heard this, she couldn't help but feel tight, and then sneered secretly: Good deal!
Really good deal!
There are 68 trade flags in total, and a security deposit is required every ten years. According to a family of 100,000 gold coins, sixty-eight families are 6.8 million gold coins!
This is a worthless business. It can be harvested once every ten years, just like a hard-core crop that can be harvested indefinitely. If you harvest it one by one, as long as the Holy City does not perish, you can make this fortune indefinitely!
This is not considered the benefit of the real business, but the income from the "guarantee" is 6.8 million! 6.8 million every ten years, on average, there are 680,000 gold coins every year!
You must know that the Byzantine Empire was a huge country, with a population of tens of millions, dozens of counties, hundreds of cities, and the prosperous years of peace and prosperity. That's not even deducting financial expenses!
It is a holy city, and the "interest money" alone has nearly 700,000 gold coins a year.
Isn't it scary? !
And this is pure profit without capital! No need to pay, just open your mouth.
If there is a merchant who can't afford it and has not taken back the business qualification, he can sell it again at a sky-high price...
After thousands of years, can the holy city be the richest in the world? Can it become the most prosperous business holy place in the whole world
Xia Ya couldn't help but cursed in a low voice. It's not surprising that Father Ade listened. In fact, among the businessmen in this world, who is not jealous of the wealth of the Holy City? It's just that people are deeply ingrained, and no one can do anything about it. They can only obediently look at their faces. But when they are full of food and drink, who doesn't have the jealousy of the rich and envious, and slanders behind their backs. It is normal for people to be the father of Ade himself, and he often scolds a few words about his mother.
On the other hand, Hasting, who had been silent at first, heard this and saw that Xia Ya was jealous and jealous, so he sneered, and deliberately said in a mocking tone: "The crow laughs at the black pig!"
"What?" Char looked at Hastings.
"The Holy City can be so arrogant, but it has monopolized the production of the entire Chaos Territory. The Chaos Territory is dangerous, and there are so many alien races entrenched in it. Those alien races only trade with the Holy City, not with other human beings in the world. It is equivalent to monopolizing the resources of the entire Chaos Territory, it is not arrogant who is arrogant? As for you, little turtle, others have the right to be jealous, but you are not qualified."
Speaking of this, Hasting suddenly used an inaudible weak business to directly reach Xia Ya's ears: "By means of means, you have monopolized all the business of the Zaku tribe, and forced all other chambers of commerce on the continent to only If you can eat the leftovers that leaked out of your bowl, you have to look at your face. Isn't it the same as the Holy City when you do this? Hehe... "
When Hasting said this, Xiaya couldn't help but blushed.
Originally, doing monopoly activities is naturally a big profit.
Then Dad Ade and Xia Ya chatted for a while, thinking about their own team, so they jumped out of the car and ran to check the front and back. Leaving Xia Ya and Hastings behind, Xia Ya said, "Let's follow this caravan all the way to the Holy City? With hundreds of people and dozens of carts, how long do we have to get there... Don't you know the way? Why don't we go on our own."
"Ha!" Hastings rolled his eyes. "First, when did I say I knew the way?"
"you?!"
"Hmph, have you heard that I've been to that holy city?"
The turtle was stunned: "... This, it seems that there is no."
"I haven't been there." Hastings said lightly, "I just happen to know that a caravan to the Holy City can be found in Karan City."
"But let's find someone to understand the way, and we can go a lot faster if we both go on the road." Xia Ya shook his head.
"In the Territory of Chaos, to go to the holy city, you have to pass through the forests and oceans of the elves, and there are many sinister mountains and rivers. In addition to the natural elves, there are also fallen elves, dark elves, and hill dwarves and giants. I heard that There are also some peculiar half-human, half-beast monsters living in groups in the deep mountains, and along the way, they will be supplied unless they hold the business flag of the holy city."
"But the ability of the two of us, it's not difficult to rush over and think about it." Xia Ya is very confident.
"Not necessarily." Hasting's tone became serious: "Don't underestimate the races of the Chaos Territory. Have you forgotten? I am a strong man, but I was almost killed by that Mr. Peach's poison. A trace of anger flashed in Hasting's eyes: "What about the strong ones, if they break in without authorization, those guys are local natives. If you get any poison or something, you and I will be overwhelmed. Follow this caravan, although Slower, but better than stability.”
"Yi? Hastings, you are so dignified, when did you become so cautious?" Xia Ya couldn't help but wonder: "Based on what I know about you, according to your temperament, you have long been impatient, and you have been single-handedly fighting your three-sided battle. The gun rushed in. What's the matter with you, you suddenly changed your temper?"